Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
| director = John Grusd (Pilot only) Dick Sebast (Season 1) Ron Myrick (Season 2) | voices = Jaleel White Charlie Adler Christine Cavanaugh Jim Cummings Bradley Pierce Rob Paulsen Mark Ballou (Season 1) Cam Brainard (Season 2) Kath Soucie Frank Welker | theme_music_composer = Noisy Neighbors Michael Tavera | opentheme = "The Fastest Thing Alive" | composer = Michael Tavera (Season 1) Matt Muhoberac (Season 2) John Zuker (Season 2) | country = United States Italy | language = English | num_seasons = 2 | num_episodes = 26 | list_episodes = #Episodes | executive_producer = Andy Heyward Robby London | producer = John Grusd (Pilot only) Dick Sebast (Season 1) Ron Myrick (Season 2) Len Janson (supervising producer) | editor = Mark A. McNally Sue Odjakjian CK Horness | runtime = 20–22 minutes | company = DIC Productions L.P.Known as DIC Animation City during season 1 Sega of America Reteitalia Saerom Animation Milimetros Apolostefanisson Enterprises | distributor = Mediaset | audio_format = Stereo | first_aired = | last_aired = | related = ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic Underground | production_website = | channel = ABC }} Sonic the Hedgehog is an American-Italian animated television series based on the video game series of the same name. It was story edited by Len Janson and produced by DiC Productions L.P., Sega of America, Inc., and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. It is the second of DiC's Sonic cartoons, following Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. It features a more dramatic and dark story, depicting Sonic as a member of a band of freedom fighters battling to overthrow Doctor Robotnik. The program aired for two seasons on ABC from September 18, 1993 to December 3, 1994. To distinguish it from other Sonic the Hedgehog media, the series is commonly referred to by fans with the identifier "SatAM", in reference to its Saturday morning timeslot. Plot The series takes place on Mobius, a planet mostly populated by anthropomorphic animals. The Kingdom of Acorn, based within the city of Mobotropolis, was at war with an unseen enemy. The King recruited a human scientist, Julian, to build war machines to end the war with a victory. However, during peacetime, Julian and his nephew Snively launched a coup d'etat against the kingdom. The King is banished to another dimension, the Void, and the citizens are captured and transformed into mindless robots, through a machine called the Roboticizer. Julian renames himself as Dr. Robotnik, now the steel-hearted dictator of Mobius. Mobotropolis is renamed Robotropolis, a polluted, factorial cityscape. Robotnik finds himself opposed by a small collective group called the Freedom Fighters, who operate out of the secluded woodland village Knothole. They are led by Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn, the King's sole heir. Other members include Sonic's best friend Miles "Tails" Prower, technical expert Rotor the Walrus, French-accented coyote Antoine D'Coolette, half-roboticized Bunnie Rabbot, and Dulcy the Dragon. They act as an insurgency against Robotnik's regime. Sonic uses the Power Rings to gain a temporary boost in power. Both the rings and the Roboticizer were designed by Sonic's uncle Chuck, one of the victims of the machine. Early on in the series, Sonic uses a Power Ring to restore Uncle Chuck's mind in his mechanical body. Chuck decides to act as a spy for the Freedom Fighters, operating from within the city. He is eventually exposed by Robotnik in the second season, and flees to Knothole. Sally searches for her father throughout the series. He is found alive within the Void, shared with a sorcerer, Naugus, who was also imprisoned within the dimension by Robotnik. Naugus attempts to escape the Void, but both he and the King discover their bodies turn to crystal whilst back on Mobius, and are forced to return to their prison. The heroes gain other allies, including Ari the Ram, and Lupe, leader of the elusive wolf pack. In the series' sole two-part episode, "Blast to the Past", Sonic and Sally use the Time Stones to travel back in time, in an attempt to thwart Robotnik's planned takeover. They fail, but manage to get their younger selves to the safety of Knothole, with help from Sally's nanny Rosemary Woodchuck. In the series finale, Robotnik builds the Doomsday Project to wipe out his enemies. The Freedom Fighters launch a full scale assault against Robotnik, Sonic and Sally destroying the Doomsday Project with the power of the Deep Power Stones. Robotnik vanishes, and the Freedom Fighters declare victory, with Sonic and Sally kissing. In a final scene, Snively becomes the main antagonist, accompanied by an unseen ally with red eyes. Ben Hurst, one of the series' writers, confirmed the figure was Naugus. Characters Knothole Freedom Fighters * Sonic the Hedgehog – Sonic is the main protagonist of the series. He is able to run at superhuman speed, and is the only freedom fighter capable of using magical rings called Power Rings. Sonic has a defiant attitude, but is also courageous, clever, and cunning. He is voiced by Jaleel White. * Princess Sally Acorn – The rightful princess of Mobotropolis and Sonic's love interest. As strategist for the Knothole Freedom Fighters, she is intelligent and cautious. However, Sally remains competitive toward Sonic. She is voiced by Kath Soucie. * Bunnie Rabbot – A rabbit with a southern accent. Half of her body was roboticized, leaving her left arm and both legs mechanical. She is skilled in martial arts, and desires to be returned to normal. She is voiced by Christine Cavanaugh. * Antoine Depardieu – A jackal with a French accent whose clumsiness often places the others in danger and gets him captured. He has some difficulty speaking English. He has romantic feelings for Princess Sally, and attempts to impress her. However, his cowardice hinders this goal. Sonic often teases Antoine over his shortcomings. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen. * Rotor – A walrus, and the mechanic of Knothole Village. He provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with useful inventions, and accompanies them on missions. He is voiced by Mark Ballou (season 1), Cam Brainard (season 2). * Tails – A young fox who idolizes Sonic. While usually left behind in Knothole, he proves bright in dangerous situations. He is voiced by Bradley Pierce. * Nicole – A portable computer that Sally uses to hack into Robotnik's technology. Nicole speaks in a female monotone, and exhibits artificial intelligence. It is indicated that Sally received Nicole from her father. She is voiced by Kath Soucie too. * Dulcy – A young dragon, who provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with transportation. Sporting powerful lungs, she can blow enemies away and freeze them with ice breath. She has trouble landing, and often crashes mid-flight. She is voiced by Cree Summer. Villains * Dr. Julian Robotnik – A warlord who seeks to cover Mobius in machinery, and transform its population into robotic slaves. He is chiefly opposed by the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Robotnik's obsession with destroying Sonic is often his undoing. In this version, his real first name is Julian, adopting the moniker "Robotnik" after his takeover. He is voiced by Jim Cummings. * Snively – Robotnik's assistant and nephew. He is constantly mistreated by his uncle. As such, Snively despises Robotnik and plots behind his back. He is voiced by Charlie Adler. * SWATbots – Robotnik's primary henchmen. They are voiced by Jim Cummings and Frank Welker. * Cluck – A robotic chicken, and the only creature Robotnik shows affection towards. * Naugus – A powerful sorcerer, who hates Robotnik for imprisoning him within the Void. He desires vengeance, but he cannot escape without crystallizing. He is voiced by Michael Bell. Recurring *Sir Charles "Chuck" Hedgehog – Sonic's uncle, and the inventor of the Roboticizer before Robotnik stole it. He was roboticized and made into one of Robotnik's slaves, until Sonic restored his free will. He serves as a spy for the Freedom Fighters. He is voiced by William Windom. *Ari – A Freedom Fighter who worked as a double agent for Robotnik, only to be betrayed later and trapped in the Void. He is voiced by Dorian Harewood. *King Acorn – The former king of Mobotropolis and Sally's father. He was banished to the Void during Robotnik's takeover, and like Naugus, cannot escape without crystallizing. He is voiced by Tim Curry. *Lupe – Leader of the Wolfpack Freedom Fighters, and one of the Knothole Freedom Fighters' allies in the fight against Robotnik. She is voiced by Shari Belafonte. Episodes Series overview | end1 = | color2 = #ff5f6c | link2 = #Season 2 (1994) | episodes2 = 13 | start2 = | end2 = }} Season 1 (1993) |EpisodeNumber=1 |EpisodeNumber2=1 |ShortSummary=Princess Sally and Antoine follow up on a lead that suggests that her father, King Acorn, may be alive. Meanwhile, Sonic attempts to rescue a captured freedom fighter. }} |EpisodeNumber=2 |EpisodeNumber2=2 |ShortSummary=When the Princess is captured, Robotnik creates a robotic duplicate of her as a means of spying on and sabotaging the Freedom Fighters. }} |EpisodeNumber=3 |EpisodeNumber2=3 |ShortSummary=Sonic finds his long lost uncle, Sir Charles, after a failed mission in Robotropolis. }} |EpisodeNumber=4 |EpisodeNumber2=4 |ShortSummary=The Freedom Fighters embark on a mission to find magical scrolls which may hold the key to unlimited power. }} |EpisodeNumber=5 |EpisodeNumber2=5 |ShortSummary=An ancient, evil wizard takes away Sonic's speed, with the promise to return it if Sonic retrieves the wizard's computer archive of spells from Robotnik. (This episode was the actual 1st full edition of this series to air on ABC, on Sept. 18, 1993.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HsK7irA12o) }} |EpisodeNumber=6 |EpisodeNumber2=6 |ShortSummary=Robotnik holds a race in Robotropolis in a bid to lure Sonic into a trap. The other Freedom Fighters take advantage of Robotnik's fixation on the race in hopes of destroying the city's power generator. }} |EpisodeNumber=7 |EpisodeNumber2=7 |ShortSummary=Antoine goes after Robotnik himself in an attempt to impress Sally and earn personal glory. }} |EpisodeNumber=8 |EpisodeNumber2=8 |ShortSummary=Robotnik launches a spy satellite in an effort to locate Knothole Village, the Freedom Fighters' hidden base. Sonic and Rotor head towards the satellite using a makeshift rocket to destroy it. }} |EpisodeNumber=9 |EpisodeNumber2=9 |ShortSummary=Sonic is paralysed by a recurring nightmare personifying his own personal fears; meanwhile, Robotnik unleashes a machine capable of destroying the world. }} |EpisodeNumber=10 |EpisodeNumber2=10 |ShortSummary=The Freedom Fighters find themselves defending an underground city of Mobian refugees, all the while coming to terms with their own personal relationships. }} |EpisodeNumber=11 |EpisodeNumber2=11 |ShortSummary=The Freedom Fighters' home, the Great Forest, is dying. In search of magical water that causes plants to grow at an accelerated speed, the Freedom Fighters journey underground where they begin disappearing one by one. }} |EpisodeNumber=12 |EpisodeNumber2=12 |ShortSummary=Robotnik has set his eyes on the last living herd of a dinosaur-like species. The Freedom Fighters help the creatures navigate through the Great Jungle while fighting off the advances of Robotnik's machines. }} |EpisodeNumber=13 |EpisodeNumber2=13 |ShortSummary=Sonic heads to Robotropolis in search of materials to build a defense against an impending invasion by Robotnik. However, the inexperienced Tails is tagging along. Note: This episode is in fact the pilot episode of the show. However, due to a shift in animation quality during the show's development after the pilot was finished and shown to ABC executives, the decision was made to air the pilot last. The pilot also featured a different opening sequence which was never shown on television but its storyboard was later released as a bonus on the DVD of the complete series. }} }} Season 2 (1994) |EpisodeNumber=14 |EpisodeNumber2=1 |ShortSummary=Sonic and Sally befriend an ally who claims to be part of another Freedom Fighter group, but he is not what he seems to be. Note: Despite airing as the fifteenth episode of the series during the show's original run, it was initially produced as the fourteenth episode of the series. }} |EpisodeNumber=15 |EpisodeNumber2=2 |ShortSummary=Knothole's De-roboticizer is a success! Bunnie Rabbot and Uncle Chuck are back to their normal selves! But the Freedom Fighters' latest accomplishment seems too good to be true. Note: Despite airing as the fourteenth episode of the series during the show's original run, it was initially produced as the fifteenth episode of the series. }} |EpisodeNumber=16 |EpisodeNumber2=3 |ShortSummary=When Sonic loses his memory, Snively takes advantage and gets the hedgehog to infiltrate Knothole. }} |EpisodeNumber=17 18 |EpisodeNumber2=4 5 |ShortSummary='Part 1': The war with Robotnik goes badly. The only hope may lie in a pair of magical Time Stones: using them Sonic and Sally could travel to Mobotropolis Kingdom's past, prior to Robotnik's takeover and stop the fight before it begins. Part 2: The time-travel mission to stop Robotnik has failed; his armies have already taken Mobotropolis! Also, Sonic and Sally have somehow put their younger selves and the Knothole Village in the Great Forest at risk. }} |EpisodeNumber=19 |EpisodeNumber2=6 |ShortSummary=Antoine is appointed king of a biker gang, unaware of their "cannibalistic" tradition. Sonic and Tails investigate a possible ghost problem while camping out. }} |EpisodeNumber=20 |EpisodeNumber2=7 |ShortSummary=Dulcy is summoned to a dragon mating ground as Robotnik seeks to Roboticize the remainder of her species. }} |EpisodeNumber=21 |EpisodeNumber2=8 |ShortSummary=When Sally and Bunnie disappear, Sonic and Nicole rush in to rescue them, discovering the Void. Within the Void, they encounter a mysterious wizard named Naugus, an old friend, and the long lost King of Mobotropolis. }} |EpisodeNumber=22 |EpisodeNumber2=9 |ShortSummary=Antoine is forced to share his house with Sonic after a failed landing from Dulcy destroys the hedgehog's home. Antoine accidentally activates a robot Rotor was working on. The robot suddenly develops a crush on him. }} |EpisodeNumber=23 |EpisodeNumber2=10 |ShortSummary=Sonic and company finally make contact with another Royal Freedom Fighter group. They must work together when a nearly indestructable war-machine arrives to attack. }} |EpisodeNumber=24 |EpisodeNumber2=11 |ShortSummary=Sonic and Tails team up in order to thwart Robotnik's scheme to possess the magical Deep Power Stones. }} |EpisodeNumber=25 |EpisodeNumber2=12 |ShortSummary=Uncle Chuck finds himself increasingly at risk operating as a spy in Robotropolis. }} |EpisodeNumber=26 |EpisodeNumber2=13 |ShortSummary=Robotnik's Doomsday Project begins a week earlier than anyone had anticipated. With all of Mobius in danger, the Freedom Fighters prepare for what may be their final battle. }} }} Broadcast and distribution Initial run The Saturday morning series differs from the weekly Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, which premiered the same month. While Adventures is lighthearted and comical, Sonic the Hedgehog featured a comparatively complex plot and dramatic atmosphere. It explored unusual story concepts for animation, including losing loved ones to war.Sonic the Hedgehog series episode "Ultra Sonic" At ABC's request, the second season included episodes devoted to humor, while darker elements were reduced. Other changes include Princess Sally donning a jacket for season two, and Rotor receiving a new design. ABC also ended up, in some weeks, airing back-to-back episodes of this show during the 1st season, while in Season 2, each time slot for the show was single-airings only.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsRuS3q4YnQ Syndication After the program's initial run, it appeared on the USA Network's Action Extreme Team from June 1997 to January 1998. The series aired in Canada on the CTV Network, with a bonus summer run between June 10 and September 2, 1995. ABC did not replicate this, replacing Sonic with reruns of Free Willy. Sonic the Hedgehog has not been rerun on broadcast or cable television in Canada since its cancellation on CTV, but was present on the Shomi video-on-demand platform until its November 30, 2016, closure. From 1994 to 1996, it had a complete run on the UK television on ITV and Channel 4, In December 1994, the first season was broadcast in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ Two. On September 2, 2016, reruns of the series began airing on Starz. Home media In 1994, Buena Vista Home Video under the DIC Toon-Time Video label released 3 VHS tapes of the series, called "Super Sonic", "Sonic Racer" and "Hooked on Sonics", each containing 2 episodes. In 2002, Lions Gate Home Entertainment and Trimark Home Video released "Super Sonic" on DVD, containing 4 episodes that the "Super Sonic" and "Sonic Racer" VHS's had, which themselves were re-issued by Lions Gate in the same year. From 2007-2009, NCircle Entertainment released single DVD sets of the series. Cast * Jaleel White as Sonic * Kath Soucie as Sally * Jim Cummings as Dr. Robotnik * Bradley Pierce as Tails * Cam Brainard as Rotor * Christine Cavanaugh as Bunnie * Rob Paulsen as Antoine * Cree Summer as Dulcy * William Windom as Uncle Chuck Additional voices * Mark Ballou * Shari Belafonte * Michael Bell * Crystal Cooke * Tim Curry * David Doyle * Dave Fennoy * Alaina Reed Hall * Dorian Harewood * Gaille Heidemann * Dana Hill * John Kassir * Katie Leigh * Nancy Linari * Victor Love * Danny Mann * Tahj Mowry * Hal Rayle * Lindsay Ridgeway * Charlie Schlatter * Frank Welker * April Winchell In other media Comics Archie's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comic book was initially based on the Saturday morning cartoon. From its earliest issues, the book shared the characters and story premise established within it. However, the comic differed in that it featured humorous plots modeled after the weekday show.http://www.saturdaymorningsonic.com/features/continuity/ "A few months after we launched the comic book, Sonic also made his debut as an animated TV character. In fact, it was perhaps the first time in animation history that two separate shows were simultaneously produced featuring the same character. “The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog” took a freewheeling slapstick approach to the characters and was seen across the nation in daily syndication. Meanwhile, the ABC-TV network checked in with a Saturday morning version simply called “Sonic the Hedgehog.” This series was filled with pure, slam-bang adventure and intrigue—and thoughtful characterization. In the beginning, Sega instructed our editorial team to reflect the art and story styles of the syndicated series, but it soon became apparent from fan reaction that the Saturday morning series was the one striking a nerve. The comic soon followed suit with a mix of the two styles, but a heavier emphasis on the dramatic." -Paul Castiglia, former editor of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic After writer Ken Penders had the opportunity to view the Saturday morning program, the comic gradually became adventure-driven."I became enamored of the storylines in the series but was told we couldn’t tie-in directly to the stories in the series as DiC - just like SEGA - refused to cooperate with us in allowing us access to their material for the purpose of tying together the continuity of the book with the show, something I was very much interested in, as was Scott. It was only during the time when it was uncertain whether or not ABC would even renew the series for a third season that DiC provided us with scripts and other materials, probably out of hope that maybe the book would help attract more viewers if it were tied in more closely with the show. Mike and I were even invited to submit outlines with the idea we would be contributing to the third season as scriptwriters. … It was only when we learned the show was cancelled that I changed my mind about embracing the show as it was and instead decided to proceed as if the book were the third season and continuing beyond that. There were many reasons for this but the most important one boiled down to simply this: the book’s very survival. We never, ever felt the book had much of a shelf life beyond the existence of the games and animated series if we didn’t develop it into its own unique series." -Ken Penders, former writer of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic, The Times They Are A' Changing. Original Source: http://www.kenpenders.com - Archived on: http://theamazingsallyhogan.tumblr.com/post/68112487973/sonic-the-hedgehog-ken-penders-bioware The comic series shifted focus again after ABC cancelled Sonic the Hedgehog, developing into a relationship-based superhero story, and following a reboot, Archie's Sonic was primarily inspired by the video game series. Nevertheless, the characters and locales from the Saturday morning cartoon remained prominent until the comic's cancellation in July 2017. Video games Several video games were intended to use elements from the TV series, although only one was completed. This was Sonic Spinball, released in 1993 for the Sega Genesis. It contained characters from the show, including Princess Sally, Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor and Muttski. The characters were also planned for use in another game, tentatively titled Sonic-16. A prototype was created by the Sega Technical Institute. Yuji Naka disliked the project, and it was cancelled without further development. Directly afterwards, the same team worked on Sonic Mars. Prior to cancellation, this would have featured Princess Sally and Bunnie Rabbot as playable characters. Reception Sonic the Hedgehog initially ranked #9 in its time slot with a 5.2 rating, an estimated 4.8 million viewers. Mark Bozon of IGN criticized the show as dated, considering it "so bad, it's good." Writing for DVD Talk, Todd Douglass Jr. remarked that Sonic didn't stand the test of time. Overall, he considered it to be of low quality, although he found the stories "Ultra Sonic" and "Blast to the Past" to be "the crème of the crop." Luke Owen of Flickering Myth felt Sonic aged better than is often supposed, praising its well-executed characterizations and treatment of war, although he considered Antoine to be "one of the worst characters committed to a cartoon series." GamesRadar listed the show as one of "the worst things to happen to Sonic." It criticized its plot and characters as "unwanted". Escapist journalist Bob Chipman credited the series with providing a viably menacing take on Doctor Robotnik, and an engaging narrative.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YDrVRqmrLY Bob Mackey of USgamer wrote that the cartoon's writing didn't live up to its intriguing premise. In particular, he argued that the Antoine character perpetrated negative French stereotypes. Ian Flynn, writer for the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series by Archie Comics, stated that SatAM "wandered off the Sonic path" by abandoning the characteristic weirdness of the property that Adventures embraced, and observed that Sonic was primarily a foil for series-original character Sally and a deus ex machina solution for each episode's conflict, although he commended Cummings's voice-acting as "brilliant". Potential fan-made continuation A group of fans is working to produce a revival based on the unused plans for a season 3 and hopefully try to partner with SEGA to make it official as well try to partner with Netflix to distribute it on their streaming platform. References External links * [http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Other_Studios/D/DiC_Entertainment/Sonic_the_Hedgehog/index.html Sonic the Hedgehog] at the Big Cartoon DataBase * * [http://www.tv.com/shows/sonic-the-hedgehog/ Sonic the Hedgehog] at TV.com Category:Italian animated television series Category:1990s American animated television series Category:1990s American comedy-drama television series Category:1993 American television series debuts Category:1994 American television series endings Category:1990s American science fiction television series Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows Category:American animated television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:Television series by DIC Entertainment Category:American children's animated action television series Category:American children's animated comedy television series Category:American children's animated science fantasy television series Category:Animated series based on Sonic the Hedgehog Category:Dystopian television series Category:Cyberpunk television series Category:English-language television programs Category:Television series set on fictional planets Category:Works about coups d'état Category:Spacetoon shows